Help with Disposal Smell

1 C Vinager
6 T Baking Soda.

You remember the Valcano experiment at school?

Same thing.

Dump Baking Soda down disposal then place vinager down also. Put stopper on and let set for 10 min. This helps break down mildew on sides of disposal. I do this every other week and on other weeks I put 1 cup bleach. My Mother in Law taught me this trick. She has done this for years. Now I dont have any smells coming from the disposal.

Kari Jo. Soon to be mom of Twins 1 boy 1 girl I have about 3 days to go.

My grandmas always told me to but some baking soda down the drain and follow it with a little bit if white viniger. It will foam and cling to what ever is stinking the drain and rinse it away.

The tv show is a great idea but you may first want to use Hydrogyn Proxide first. Just poor it into the disposal and let it sit for a while approx 5 minutes, do that twice, cause the mildew smell may be coming from mildew and the peroxide will loosen it up. Then do the tv show idea.
Good Luck
E

The problem could be up on the underside of the rubber flaps. Those buggers are hard to clean. My husband used to always pour bleach down the drain, but we were not cleaning and scrubbing all around inside of that thing. I found a product that I love. I am out right now, and meant to pick some up the other day, so I can't tell you the exact name of it, but I can describe it. It comes in a yellow box. You get 4 or 6 paper pouches in it that are bio-degradable, so you just stick the whole pouch right in the disposal. You run a trickle of hot water in the disposal, turn it on, and it chews up and eliminates the paper, then you will see a bluish green foam rise up into your sink. You turn your disposal off and let the water run a little still. By the time the foam is gone, the underside of the flap is clean. I would not normally want to touch that part of my disposal because it's just gross, but after I do this treatment, it is really clean and smells so much better. I buy this product at Wal-Mart. I will pick some up today and let you know the brand if you would like. Good luck! Ok, I got the stuff today at Wal-Mart, but they changed the packaging on me and it was almost impossible to find. It is called "Disposer Care", go figure. It is now in a blue pouch and there are 6 packs in it.

Dear S. S,

This is probably going to sound gross, but make for SURE there is not a dishcloth in it. We moved in to a newer townhome as a rental and I could NOT get rid of this terrible smell in my kitchen. I just stuffed my hand down there and felt around one day (SO EWY GROSS!) and out came a disgusting, moldy, tore up dishcloth. Make sure it is off before inserting your hand though!!!!!! Even if it "doesn't work" when turned on. Be certain it is off. But I'm sure you knew that. ;)
V.
married 8.5 yrs, ddis 6, ttc #2 for 5 yrs in August. No answers! Filling out adoption paperwork! Wish us luck!

You might also want to check out home remedies for smelly things. My mil has a book that I swear has something in it with vinegar and something else... but I can't get it out yet! Good luck!

Have your sister put her hand in the sink and feel for grunge under the black cover on the sink. Slimy stuff grows there and causes bad smells. Be sure and clean that stuff off and clean under the rubber covering. You will be surprised at the black stuff that smells horrible there. Then, put about a cup of baking soda down the drain and then pour lots of vinegar down the drain. It will bubble a lot and finish cleaning the disposal and drain. You will need to run really hot water after that down the drain. I sometimes boil water and pour that down to make sure all of it gets rinsed out. Hope that helps with the problem. Look for the hidden black mold!

We will not use bleach or any commercial cleaners in our home because of the chemical exposure and how it has caused serious asthma attacks in our children. we read ALL MSDS sheets on anything we use in our home, if they require it to be read by individuals who work with the chemicals in the work place, why should we not be given the same information at home?
I sent a private message with what I use for this problem, and that it is EPA approved to use as a disinfectant in hospitals and daycares.

I had that same issue, I poured 1 cup of household bleach into the disposal while running hot water down it and it seemed to get rid of the odor, I have not had the issue since then.
HTH

Remove the black rubber thing from the sink and scrape off all the yucky stuff that collects. Then wash it in the dishwasher. Do that once a month. Those yellow balls or packets are good too but make sure you get the black thing clean!

cleaning under the flaps sounds like a stellar idea. My sister also said that running cold water before leaving your sink to sit, and cold water in the disposal will cut down on odor.

Bleach wash today. Then up keep it with scrubbing sink twice a week with baking soda. i often let the baking soda just sit on the sink while I run an errand or clean other stuf then rinse. Don't forget to remove (or pull back) the black flap thing. Get your finger under there (or tool) and scrape that black junk out periodically. I know it is grose. then grind your disposal all the time. Never let food sit in there. Make sure that it is actually running out and dry when you do run it...otherwise, you might need to replace it if water siting in there. Lastly, never let your spnges or towles sit in there. Rinse dishes immediately after a meal...good job for your kids. put them in the dish washer or handwash and put in a drip rack that suspends over your sink, not sit in there. Lastly, get a metal grid pad thing that fits down at the bottom of the sink. then if someone is lazy and puts a dish in it (hopefully after rinsing it), it isn't sitting in the bottom pooling water.

Try putting baking soda in, leave for a few minutes, and follow with vinegar and a hot water rinse.

There are some round yellow balls she can buy in her dishwashing detergent aisle you run warm water then pop one down and then run the disposal. They clean the gunk build up in the disposal and give it a fresh smell.
Something else I do on occassion is put half bleach and half water down the disposal (just a little bit), let it sit then run the disposal.
Orange peels are great too!,

try using baking soda and then slowly pour white vinager over and it will foam up like crazy and let it set for about 10-15 minutes that should do it for at least a month or more.. then pour boiling water in and turn on the disposer.

Hi -
Just saw this on a cleaning show recently...
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 white vinegar
one-two squirts lemon juice
Make sure disposal is empty. Pour each item in seperately, once combined let all of them do their work. Once noise has stopped, run disposal. If there is mildew in it, it may need to be done a couple of times.
Good luck!

I use a few ideas for disposals. Sometimes baking powder down the drain and then pour in vinegar (smells temporarily). Sometimes a kettle full of boiling water to melt and move things through. I love citrus (or citrus peels) in the disposal, but I also just pour some liquid dish soap while the disposal is running sometimes--I actually do this one a couple times a week for general cleaning purposes. I wonder if her drain would smell better if she regularly "cleaned" it rather than just when it smells? Hope one of these ideas helps.

You can buy a disposal cleaner at the store. They are not very expensive and have worked wonders for me in the past.

I have used salt pellets and ice to clean the odors in my disposal. Fill it full of to ice and salt pellets and run as usual.

Pour baking soda down the drain then dump vinagar down and let the chemical reaction do the work. It should clean the pipes and get rid of the smell.
Also, after running the disposal make sure the water runs for a couple of minutes to wash all the food down the drain.
C. B

Bleach is always good.

Hello, Try baking soda followed by vinegar. Also works great in washers with the same mildew smell. You may have to do it a few times. It's not just for science project volcanos. Good luck!

I have heard wonderful things about using baking soda and vinegar. Pour the baking soda in first, then the vinegar. Let that bubble for about an hour then rinse with about a gallon of boiling water with the disposal running. I have also heard that you should freeze ice cubes made with vinegar and water and run them through the disposal with baking soda. I hope this helps!!

My grandma puts vinegar down her disposal and lets it sit for about 5 minutes then flushes really hot water down it. Hers doesn't smell. Good luck.

Try freezing vinegar into ice cubes. That will not only disinfect the disposal it will also sharpen it.

Try pouring a box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda down it, while running Hot Water and the disposal on.
I have always used baking soda and only have to do it once every few months.
Clorox Bleach is always good also.
Or try some vinegar.
Good Luck

clorox and/or draino. not together. keep seperate

They have special little disposal tablets that you can put down there. I have found them at bed bath and beyond in the kitchen section and they have worked good for me.

I pour about a half a cup of bleach in my sink, about
twice a month. Let it sit for about an hour, then run hot
water. I have found bleach also helps with a plugged
sink.

Hi,
Could be a "buildup" underneath the rubber flaps of the lip of the disposal. I had some odor permeating from my disposal several years ago. I went searching for the smell and discovered the rubber flaps on the underside get extremely "icky". Once I cleaned them up and kept them cleaned I no longer experienced the smell. Best Wishes!

Once a week i pour warm water and bleach down my disposal while its running and it seems to eliminate any odors. I hope this helps. :)

Have you tried putting Baking Powder down it? Sometimes that will work for me.

We have had a strange smell from our disposal off & on for a while now. It only comes up when I run the disposal. I finally had a plumber check it out and it was a problem with the way the drain is vented. If it isn't vented correctly no amount of baking soda, lemon or bleach will fix the problem. So if none of the other suggestions work for her, have her check with a plumber to make sure the drain is vented properly.

Pour half a box of baking soda down the drain.
Pour vinegar over top of the baking soda to create a foaming action.
Allow the foam to settle, and repeat until all of the baking soda is gone.
let the drain sit unused for a while after cleaning.
Run hot water down the drain the first time you use it. This should help to remove any dirt or debris left behind.

For stubborn odors pour baking soda into the drain and let it set for several hours before running the water/disposal.

also since ice cubes help sharpen the blades of the disposal, you can also freeze vinegar in ice cube trays and run those down the disposal. You'll keep your blades sharp and get rid of any lingering odors.

THis may not be your problem, and I hope it makes sense. I kept thinking it was my disposal and actually the little ring in my sink removes and it it needed washed. My sink is granted, and the ring that goes to the disposal is silver so there is a white liner that hides that and if you lift it up it just comes out and once I washed that then my disposal didn't smell any more. Just a thought.

Hello,
Get a small headed scrub brush with a long handle (a kitchen scrub brush). Take out the rubber flange in the sink, just grab it at the sides and it should lift out. The flange itself becomes coated with goo and needs to be scrubbed regularly. Pour some softcrub (or whatever cleaner you use) on your brush and scrub the flange and all around inside the disposal itself. Make sure to get the walls and the bottom. After you rinse it thoroughly look inside with a flashlight to see if there are food parts that are stuck in the disposal. This happens often and are easily removable with tongs (kitchen pinchers).
I do this once a week or so, it only takes a few minutes. It is really just like cleaning out your sink.
Take care,
B.

If those kitchen items don't work for you, I highly recommend a product called Disposer Care. You can get it at your neighborhood hardward store. It's a little packet you put in your drain, turn the disposal on and it cleans by foaming for about 4 minutes. I use it once a month and my sink actually smells good. It's also safe for septic which is what we have.

If there's a lot of mold buildup inside the drain, I would also suggest getting a disposal brush. It's a stiff brush with a big head that you push down into the drain and twist around. You'd be shocked at the black stuff that comes off of it, especially from the rubber protectors in the drain!

I poor bleach down the sink to clean out bacteria and eliminate odors.

Try household bleach. I try to run bleach through mine atleast once a month. It helps for the most part.

Hi, I am not sure if this will work, but mildew & mold can be killed by putting straight vinegar on it, and letting it sit for a while. Maybe it would work for this problem as well. I am not sure if the mold & mildew smell is better then the vinegar smell, however. LOL If you don't mind the smell of vinegar, that is great. At least you can wash the vinegar away, and the smell leave....meldew & mold just grows!!!! I hope this helps.

Recently a disposal "technician" came to our house - he recommended vinegar and baking soda. (Yes, it's the same stuff you use to make volcanoes as a kid). He also recommended taking a scrub brush to the parts in there... basically you have build up that you need to clean away. Good luck.

Best thing I have ever used on disposal - and it works. Saw on a cooking show about 10 years ago and it still is my fall back when the disposal gets yucky. I try and do this maintenance step 1 x a month if I remember.

Take a handfull of ice cubes - put down the sink.
Add 1/4 cup salt
add sliced lemon peels - maybe 1/2 lemon worth (I don't make the rind too chunky - slicing works)
turn on disposal and quickly add HOT water.
Sounds (literally) terrible but it also sharpens your blades while it cleans.
Good luck!